Menstruation has been stigmatized for decades now, forcing menstruators to be ashamed of a completely natural process. From the first period until menopause, those who menstruate spend their lives hiding the fact that they have a period. Whether it’s hiding tampons or pads in pockets or handbags when going to the washroom or experiencing serious anxiety about bleeding through their clothes, menstruators have been taught to hide any sign of their periods. Though society is moving towards talking about menstruation more openly, there is still a lot of work to be done. Sex coach Demetra Nyx from California is helping build a more open dialog about periods through a unique form of activism on social media platform Instagram — posting photos of her face smeared over with menstrual blood.

Nyx is hoping to erase the idea that periods are “dirty” or “disgusting,” helping social media users learn that menstrual blood is just like any other kind of blood. There is nothing that differentiates the blood, making it “dirtier” or “nastier” somehow. She was inspired to upload the posts by her own experiences with menstruation. At the young age of 12, she had her first period and grew up learning that it was something that should never be talked about. She was forced into silence about something she couldn’t even control.

In addition to this, Nyx later had an IUD fitted, which gave her very painful and heavy periods. The periods were so painful that they made it difficult for the sex coach to even leave her bed. However, due to the taboo associated with menstruation, she felt like she did not have any avenues through which to discuss her problems, forcing her into silence once again. It was only when she had the IUD removed and began becoming more in tune with her menstrual cycle that she realized how powerful and beautiful periods can actually be.

Because her opinions towards periods changed for the better overall, she began talking about menstruation openly on her social media profiles, often posting photos of her own menstrual blood. She shared the first selfie with menstrual blood smeared on her face in April last year. She took a nonchalant approach to the upload, captioning the post, “Some things: Happy New Moon in Aries + my first house. I’ve created a free 7-day video series about working with our menstrual cycles (long overdue, too!) that I will start sharing tomorrow. Yes, that is my blood on my face.”

Unsurprisingly, Nyx received a lot of backlash for the post. Instagram user Matthewbyrd3143 commented, “Seriously, there is nothing beautiful about that at all. You should really keep that sh*t to yourself ’cause you might poison young girls who don’t know better so just STOP.” Shauna.windsor added, “This makes me feel physically sick! Everyone knows what women have every month! You don’t need to face paint with it though to try and prove a point because it really isn’t proving anything except the fact you have entertainment playing with your period blood!”

But this didn’t stop Nyx from appreciating her body however she wished. A month later, in May 2018, she posted another selfie with menstrual blood spread across her face once again. She stated, “I will do this every month until people are no longer shocked by it. I will do it until little girls stop being taught that the natural functions of their bodies are disgusting and unclean.  I will do it until women stop feeling like they can’t have sex on their period because it is gross. I will do it until we stop being embarrassed that we sometimes bleed through our clothing. Through your sheets.”

Nyx continued, “The idea isn’t to get everyone to put blood on their face (though – wow – does it make your skin glow!) Rather… If I do something sooo shockingly disgusting and put it out in public… Maybe someone somewhere will feel like: ‘Well, if she can do *that*, maybe I don’t have to hate my period after all. Maybe my body isn’t that gross after all.’ Also, it’s fun and I like it.” This time around, she received more positive feedback from her followers. For example, Endo_ovasharer commented, “Although pretty extreme, I like everything you’ve said and stand for!”

Since then, the sex coach has continued to post such selfies. Though they are not very frequent, they still serve as an important reminder of how one person can help change the direction of a conversation — or open it up entirely— when it comes to topics traditionally considered taboo. Now, not only does she share provocative photos, she discusses the issues she faces as a menstruator. In September, she talked about what it was like to have a late period and all the emotions that come along with such an experience.

Undoubtedly, we are undergoing a menstruation revolution as a society. Menstruators everywhere are speaking up about the disenfranchisement they face when they have to remain silent about a natural process that affects them so deeply while the other, more problematic violences of humanity are so publicly advertised. “My blood is magic. It is worth being celebrated. The wisdom of our wombs was taken from women a long time ago. I’ve taken mine back,” Nyx stated in one of her posts, unabashedly owning the power and beauty of menstruation — something that more menstruators everywhere ought to feel safe and comfortable enough to do.